You’d be off your head not to check your head restraint

Research released by Brake, the road safety charity, and Direct Line Car Insurance, finds two out of three drivers haven’t got a clue how to correctly position their head restraints and two out of three drivers never or rarely check their head restraints.

Two out of three respondents said they didn’t know how to correctly position their head restraints, or incorrectly thought the top of a head restraint should be level with your neck or ears. The remaining one in three drivers correctly say the top of a head restraint should be level with the top of your head to give your head protection and to stop your neck ‘hyper-extending’ backwards in a crash, potentially breaking it or giving you other severe injuries.

Two out of three respondents said they never or rarely check their head restraints. Only one in seven drivers claimed to always check.

When comparing those drivers who knew how to correctly position their head restraints with those who said they regularly checked, the researchers found that only one in 17 drivers (6%) knew the correct position and bothered to regularly check it. This is exactly the same percentage as when Brake and Direct Line carried out the same research five years ago in 2004, indicating that awareness has not improved in the meantime.

Mary Williams OBE, Brake chief executive says: “Even if drivers did regularly check their head restraint, the research shows us that most drivers wouldn’t have a clue whether it was correct or not, which largely explains why they don’t bother. There needs to be a major awareness-raising campaign on this life-saving, simple measure we can all take. Incorrect head restraints result in death, permanent disability, and in the more minor cases excruciating back and neck pain. Yet it only takes a couple of seconds to check and adjust your restraint and those of other occupants in your vehicle.”

Andy Goldby, Director of Motor Underwriting at Direct Line says: “It is worrying that people are not aware of how head restraints in a car can help prevent injury during a collision. Whenever getting in a car, whether as the driver or a passenger, you should adjust your head restraint correctly to mitigate any potential injury. It simply isn't worth the risk of not checking, 10 seconds to adjust it could prevent restrictions on what you can physically do for the rest of your life."

Top tips on adjusting your head restraint from Brake:

If you don’t have a head restraint or an inadequate one that doesn’t reach the top of your head, change your car as your neck isn’t protected.

Adjust your seat so it is upright, not in a reclined position, allowing the head restraint to be as close to the back of your head as possible, ideally touching it. This might mean also moving your seat backwards, away from the steering wheel.

Adjust your head restraint so its top is level with the top of your head.

Ensure the head restraint is securely fastened and won’t fall down.

If your head restraint is broken, get it fixed.

Ensure everyone else in your car has their head restraint appropriately positioned for them. Check all children have a restraint behind their heads that is either part of their child seat or, if they are taller than 150cm, on the main car seat.